And That's Why I Love You
by Nightwingess
Summary: Rapunzel hangs out with ex-boyfriend Eugene. Much to Jack's surprise, he feels a bit jealous over it, despite not wanting to be.


Prompt: Could you do a drabble where there is a love triangle, Rapunzel, jack and her ex (I can't spell his name) and where she is still seeing him and jack doesn't like it? Pleaseee

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Jack knew he was over thinking things, which in itself was so odd for him because he was more of an act first, think later type of guy. Regardless of that fact, he couldn't get it out of his head that Rapunzel was going out to lunch with Eugene, not just a boy, not just a friend, but an ex of hers who she had repeatedly said was only a friend to her now.

The irrational side of him wondered why she'd bothered to stay friends with him. If she'd broken up with him, there had to have been a reason, a reason so terrible that she couldn't possibly want to see his face ever again.

"No, that's not Punz, she's too friendly, too loving." He hit his head against the wall and sighed. He hated feeling this way. He felt like an annoying male protagonist in an anime who obsessed too much over what his girlfriend was doing rather than trusting her to make her own decisions.

That wasn't him, he was Jack, cool, relaxed, laid-back. He wasn't the type of person to be worrying over something like this, it was Rapunzel after all, she'd never cheat on him. To Rapunzel, their relationship was a promise, a promise that it was only him, a promise of faith to him, and he knew how she felt about promises.

_She never, ever breaks them._

"So why can't I get it out of my head?"

"Get what out of your head?" He turned to the sound of her voice and saw her standing at his doorway. She looked as lovely as ever with her golden hair wrapped in braids and a yellow sundress that made the color of her eyes look greener than the grass outside.

"Hey Punz." She walked over to him and held up a bag, "I brought you cookies!" She took a seat next to him on his bed and unrolled the paper bag, the smell of mint chocolate chip cookies filled his nostrils and made his stomach growl.

"You made those?"

"Just for you!" She pulled out one for him to take, she had expected him to take it from her with his mouth, a habit of his that he'd done so often to make her blush. When he took the cookie with his hand, she knew something was wrong.

"What's bothering you?" She put her hand on his shoulder and he sighed. He could try and pretend nothing was wrong but Rapunzel knew him too well, she could see it in the way he pressed his lips together and the way his shoulder jerked from her touch. From her fingertips that rested on him now, she could sense tension in his bones, something was troubling him and if he didn't tell her now, it would only make things worse.

"It's stupid, and when I say stupid I really mean it's stupid, pathetically stupid."

"And you think I'll think less of you if you tell me?" She gently whacked his cheek, "Now that's stupid." He chuckled.

"I didn't say that," He rolled his eyes, a smile was forming on his lips.

"You didn't have to," She tugged on his sleeve, "Tell me, what's on your mind?"

Jack didn't say anything at first, he wasn't sure how to phrase it without coming off as a jealous, needy jerk. He fell back onto his bed and she followed. A few minutes past and he still hadn't said anything.

She put a cookie on his cheek and pushed it toward his mouth. He started to laugh, "Punz!" He grabbed the cookie from his face and turned to look at her.

"I was trying to bribe you to talk," She put her forehead to his, "feel like talking yet?"

He sighed again and waited for the words to come, the words that would perfectly express how he felt without making him look stupid or make her feel bad but the words didn't come. He had to settle for the first thing that came to mind.

"Why'd you break up with Eugene?"

Her expression changed from worry to confusion, out of all the things that could have been troubling Jack, this wasn't one she'd thought of.

"What, why?"

"Because, as much as I hate to admit it," He groaned, "I think, there may be a slight, small, chance that I could be sort of a little bit…"

"Jealous?" The way she said the word was not accusatory or teasing but genuine making him feel as though his feelings were valid.

"Yeah, that. You guys were such great friends and… now you are such great friends and I… I just wonder why me not him?" Eugene was tall, good-looking and extremely charming to all those that met him. He wasn't a jerk like one might expect from someone who looked as good as he did which is exactly why Jack couldn't understand why Rapunzel would willingly be with him instead of her ex, hell, he couldn't figure out why she'd broken up with him in the first place.

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Because as wonderful as Eugene is, he wouldn't roll down the hills with me."

Jack raised an eyebrow and Rapunzel giggled, she moved one hand to his face and traced his eyes, the touch eased his mind.

"You know how you always come with me when I'm in the flowers, or the grass-"

"Or the snow, or roads or basically anything you can get yourself into?" Jack smiled at the thought, he loved it when she did that.

"Yes, yes all of that. It's something I've always done, I just… I love life, I love being in life, and that was something he… he accepted but he never understood or really gave the chance."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when I was running down the hills, or rolling, he'd just watch me do it. He didn't judge me, or tell me to stop but he just watched as if it wasn't interesting to him and… and I don't know. That's what all my friends do, Hiccup, Merida… they just watch, sometimes they laugh but you Jack... you get in there with me. I don't even have to ask you like I'd have to do with the others. You're at my side and making it ten times better." She kissed his cheek, "That's why I love you." She lowered her head to his shoulder and breathed in the smell of his sweatshirt, it smelled like home.

He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled, "I didn't realize you were so in love Punz, guess I'm a real catch." She gently hit his chest and pulled back, she had a semi-annoyed expression on her face.

"Although you can be full of yourself sometimes."

"Only because you make me feel like I can touch the moon." His sounded as though he were swooning which told Rapunzel he was intentionally being overdramatic.

"Ah, here comes casanova."

"Please, you know I only have eyes for you princess." He touched the bridge of her nose and traced it down to her lips.

"And the same goes for me… to you." Jack nodded, this was her whole point all along and the fact that she said it made all his worries fade away, she had that effect on him.

Rapunzel pulled away to grab the cookie he'd left to his side, he took it with his mouth and she laughed, "That's my Jack." When he had finished eating, she put her head back on his chest and closed her eyes, Eugene was great, Eugene was wonderful, but no one in the world could make her feel so at home by just one single embrace.

_And that's why I love you._


End file.
